This One Time, For Art Class
by Reda
Summary: AU ZoroxUsopp. Started from a basic premise: "Usopp is taking an art class where Zoro is the model." Turned into a romance drama adventure with a pairing rarely used! Give it the chance it deserves!
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes**:

-I've been gone for months and my welcome-back gift is a ZoroxUsopp. Yeah... And the cries for more "Claimed" updates continue... I really need to write that next chapter... ANYWAY: This idea came from E-kun's challenge over at the Yaoi Supernova Author Guild. Drop by if it intrigues you!

_(Kairi: I TOLD HER NOT TO... er...actually I told her that she HAD to write it... heh heh...)_

-I want to apologize for a few things: any out of character actions/words, hopefully nothing obvious, though I'm sure some of the random side characters I threw in will be off. I also want to apologize that my characters got me side-tracked and the premise of the challenge doesn't happen right away like I thought it was going to...

-(Also! - the title is a pun off of the famous "This one time, at band camp" line, fyi)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own One Piece blah blah blah. This work is on ffnet, it should be obvious...

**Warning**: Rated M. For obvious reasons.

**Pairing**: ZoroxUsopp.

**Timeline**: AU – Alternate Universe. They're modern day college students (like me :D)

**E-kun's Challenge**: Write a ZoroxUsopp. AU. Usopp is taking an art class where Zoro is the model is the basic premise. Again. Smut if you want it but doesn't matter who's on top...

Aaaaand here we go...

Oh god...

~!~

This One Time, For Art Class...

~!~

College life was both wonderful and terrifying.

Freedom to do as he pleased, to make his own choices, to _choose _to go to class, to _choose _to participate (or not participate) in extra activities, even the freedom to hide from the bigger fraternity groups wandering the campus. It wasn't like anyone would bully him into giving up lunch money. Those days were long gone. But the big group of muscled football players still deserved their space, their walk area, their special table. It was like half the campus followed the rules of high school and the other half had moved on with their life and just let them play.

As for Usopp, he was still the clumsy, nerdy, easily-targetable scaredy-cat that he'd always been. His free time was spent hanging out with other friends like him, and a small group of LARPers that enjoyed dressing up and enacting out scenes as if they were other people, heroes, villains, wandering adventurers, what-have-you. And that had been spawned from his first involvement in the single D&D group on the campus.

Yeah. Nerdy. Not to mention he was an art student, full out art major, at a cheap college where football was still the most important thing to the college Chancellor. He didn't even _go_ to football games. Or any sporting event. And thankfully, he wasn't in band, so he didn't _have_ to. Those kids were just weird for actually enjoying the suffering involved in participating in such things.

Shaking his head at such thoughts – he did tend to day dream quite often while eating his lunch, just usually not so realistic of thoughts – Usopp finished the last of his cheeseburger and crumpled all the trash into one bag, ready to throw away. Standing up, he pulled his shoulder bag on, checking to make sure his drawing pad and pack of pencils, pens, markers, and other useful materials were all inside. Then he grabbed his binder – a personal collection of his sketches made while bored – and trash and made a beeline for the nearest trash can.

Too late, he noticed the jock (marked clearly by the jacket he wore) standing up from a table. Right in his path. He tried to skid to a stop, but he had gathered too much momentum (seeing as his art class was scheduled to start soon and he would prefer to not be late). A loud crash filled the outside air, interrupting several nearby conversations, and Usopp winced, feeling his knees buckle when his stomach smacked into a cafeteria tray. He fell with the tray and the food, feeling it splatter all over his clothes and bag and ground as he went to his hands and knees amid a mess of juice, soaked meat and... noodles?

Shaking his head, Usopp tried to reorient himself, already mumbling a string of apologizes, speaking them so fast his brain could hardly comprehend what he was apologizing for. Sometimes jocks were nice; sometimes they would surprise him and be completely opposite the stereotype (kind, friendly, smart, successful...).

But, of course, not this time.

"Fucking jerk, that was my lunch!" The guy shouted.

And before Usopp could respond, there was a fisted hand in his shirt, pulling him up to face the wrath of the still-stuck-in-high-school "god." Sadly enough, he had no way to defend himself here. And it didn't appear like he would get any help from the watching crowd. _That_ had happened often enough for him not to be surprised.

Welcome to college, after all.

It's just like high school. Did it ever end?

"You owe me. You better have the money to pay me back for that!" A thick forehead and lack of eyebrows glared at Usopp more than the narrowed eyes. Odd colored blue hair. Dark eyes. Not that it mattered, but he was close enough to notice the small things, even the piece of lettuce stuck in the guy's teeth.

"Uh. I c-can't." Which was true enough. He had just paid off his debts for the first semester. Not to mention the money he was going to have to find to pay for the up and coming one. Finals were close. A holiday was approaching. He was sure to get money during the break, but now?

Well, he was a college student making it by with his own hard-earned cash. And he was broke.

The jock just raged some more, and pulled his free fist back. Usopp squirmed a little, wishing he had carried his sling shot with him today, but it was back at the dorm so he was pretty much useless this time. Cringing, he moved his hands to cover his face – better chance to avoid a broken nose.

This was going to hurt.

"Oi," a voice intruded on the quiet, still air.

Seeing as nothing was happening to his face, Usopp moved his fingers slightly to peek out between them. A few short steps behind the bullying jock, a tall buffed – but still well proportioned – man stood with his arms crossed. He was wearing a black T-shirt that seemed like it had been stretched to fit him and a pair of pants instead of the more commonly worn jeans. There were two things that stood out, though: the short _green_ hair (which, honestly, on a college campus wasn't too abnormal) and the wooden sword hanging at his waist.

_Who is this guy?_ _I haven't seen him before. Sure, the place is huge, but something **that** different would've caught my notice._

"Aren't you a bit old to be playing playground bully?" Green hair asked.

The jock froze, obviously shocked to be interrupted. (Still stuck in high school...) But he did manage some grace at least as he lowered Usopp's hanging skinny body – not letting go, but just holding him there. Turning his head, the jock glared over his shoulder at the green hair, glancing over the wooden sword and acting as if it was no threat. He kept his hand clenched, ready to punch, as he spat out a response.

"What's it to ya?" He growled. "You gonna pretend to be Mr. Miyagi? Asking me to stop beating up on weaklings all good Samaritan like?"

Usopp was at first a little shocked to find the jock well versed for such words and pop culture references, but then again, he had to remind himself. This was college. Even the football players had to have _some_ sort of education.

The green haired man smirked in reply, moving his hand down to the wooden sword, his legs falling into a stance of some kind. "Nah. I won't ask. I'll just stab you until you let go."

At this statement, the football player laughed loudly, tossing Usopp to the ground as he turned to take on this strange green haired swordsman. Usopp landed on his ass, hands out to his side, back to the unoccupied chair behind him. Unable to focus on worrying about himself, he instead turned his eyes to his supposed hero. This stranger with the green hair.

There was a strange glint in the man's expression as he pulled the wooden sword out. A look Usopp had seen on his 'enemies' many times – and even more often on the crazy villains of a fantasy movie. The look that just loved the thrill of the fight, a look that said this guy lived for that thrill.

Usopp gulped as he watched the two square off, having a feeling it would be over quick.

A hand touched his arm, causing him to jump and squeal before he could control himself. Biting his lip, he glanced up to see one of the jock's friends trying not to laugh. "S-sorry?" The guy managed before taking a breath as if to better control his expression, immediately turning the upturned smile into a frown. "I just wanted to apologize for Don Krieg's behavior. He had one too many drinks earlier..." When Usopp didn't respond, the dark haired man continued. "I'm Gin by the way."

"U-Usopp," he managed to force out through his nerves, never being rude enough to ignore his courtesies.

"Ah. Who's your green haired friend?"

Turning back to the fight – which still had yet to actually begin – Usopp shook his head. "I don't know."

He watched as the football jock – Don Krieg – shot forward, running fast with a lot of muscle behind it, quickly closing the gap between him and his adversary. But then the green haired stranger – at just the last second, or so it seemed – stepped lightly to the side. The wooden sword came up and then smashed down.

Everyone heard the crack as the sword broke – hopefully it was just the sword. Krieg fell almost immediately after, no sign of blood or any other injury. When the raving jock didn't stand back up, Usopp turned his eyes to the green haired man, who had somewhat sad – more disappointed – eyes focused on the broken wooden stick now left in his hand. Eyebrows crinkled a bit, but he sighed and tossed it toward the trash before changing his view to the person he had just rescued.

Usopp stood up, feeling his legs still shaking in that cowardly way he couldn't control. He tried his best to ignore it, telling himself over and over there was no reason to fear someone who would step up to stop bullies. Except he didn't really believe that had been the reason this swordsman had stopped. It seemed almost like the fight had been more important than the rescue operation.

Or was he just reading too much into things again?

"Oi, you okay?"

Staring at his feet, feeling so much like the little nobody nerd, Usopp muttered a stuttering quick reply. "Y-Yeah."

"Keh. Your shirt's ruined. You should go back and change that."

Usopp winced at the reminder. Another check for the embarrassment factor. _It __**is**__ a mess though...I have..._

"B-But I have to get to class!"

He jumped into action immediately after remembering – the whole reason he had been rushing in the first place. He reached for his binder, already feeling his heart beating faster. He was going to be late! For the first time! He hated the idea of being late. With the way the teacher and classmates would all stare...

"Oi," came that voice again, accompanied by a hand on top of his. "Skip it."

"_What_?" He exclaimed, feeling his terrified bubble burst as the very idea of skipping a class had him roaring. "I couldn't do that! I haven't missed a single class...ever..."

"Then it won't hurt you to miss one," Green Hair said, picking up the binder and holding out a free hand as if to help Usopp to his feet.

"But...it's my major!" Usopp complained, taking the hand and getting to his feet, feeling his face blush when he realized what had happened. He instantly pulled his hand back, letting his eyes stay focused on the ground. "Seriously, I can't miss a class from my major."

The stranger yawned. "Why not? I do it all the time."

"Because...wait what?" Usopp glanced up, meeting a grin.

"So, are you coming to my room or what?"

Spluttering over his own words, Usopp found himself blinking several times. "Wait...what?"

"Come on. Your dorm is probably with other freshman way in the back. Mine's right here. I'll find a new shirt for you and _then_ you can go to class."

"B-But..."

But there was no arguing with this strange green haired swordsman. Usopp found himself unable to give a suitable enough excuse not to follow him, but the jerk had his binder full of personal sketches. He still didn't like the idea of missing one class, but the guy _did_ have a point. Going to class with a shirt covered in food would probably look just as bad to the teacher as if he had not come. Well, probably not, but...

There was just no arguing with this guy.

~!~

The dorm room probably had the most contrasting atmosphere Usopp had ever seen. One side was a complete mess, with a bed unmade, clothes on the floor, weights in random places, swords propped up seemingly randomly along different walls... And the other side was the exact opposite. Bed made perfectly, the hardwood floor swept and possibly even mopped or scrubbed or polished to give it that shine. There was a desk in the far corner with a large book open – and several other books set neatly in the shelves above it. A poster hung on the far wall of some famous actress or singer in a common anime-type school girl outfit.

What definitely set the dorm room apart from the others he had visited on campus, was the line of red duct tape straight down the center, separating the two distinctly different sides almost exactly down the middle.

Usopp stood near the doorway as he studied this room, feeling slightly overwhelmed to be alone with another guy in a room – even if there were other guys in the dorm. But thankfully, the green haired man didn't shut the door and lock him in. No, he had another purpose. Leaving Usopp to stand and wait, Green Hair walked over the other side of the room, mumbling something as he opened the closet and started grabbing shirts and throwing them over his shoulder after a quick inspection.

For some reason, Usopp had the impression that the neater side and the closet with the nice clothes did _not_ belong to the green haired stranger. "Uhm," Usopp muttered, lifting his hand up as if to try to stop the guy from rummaging through his roommates stuff.

But, someone beat him to it. "What the fuck do you think you're doing on my side, stupid marimo?"

And so, in came the stranger's roommate. Usopp stepped to the side quickly as the blond haired guy stomped in, tossing an unlit cigarette into the mass of trash as he made his way to his side of the room. The blond haired roommate stopped just a few steps from where Green Hair was still rummaging around in the closet, and before Usopp could wonder what he would do, the man raised his leg and swiped at the other's head.

The swordsman ducked and missed the attack and stood away from the closet as if just now noticing his roommate. "Ah, Sanji, do you even have anything besides suits and dress shirts?"

The blond haired man, so named Sanji, seemed no less perturbed now that the green haired guy had stopped throwing things around, but he answered anyway. "I do, but not in there. Why?"

A finger simply pointed toward Usopp, who was still hanging around the doorway, wondering if he could sneak out and escape this crazy pair without being chased. Sanji took a look, raising his eyebrow as if having just now noticed the new person in his room. Then he frowned and rolled his eyes back to his roommate.

"Another one, Zoro?"

Zoro – finally, he had a name for his savior – seemed to think very little of the question, simply shrugging. "At least I'm not like you."

Teeth clenched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Waving a hand over his shoulder, Zoro responded while fixing his attention back on his main goal: rummaging around Sanji's things for a decent shirt. "You have a new girl in here every week, and it's not like I'm promiscuous with the friends I make."

"I am _not_ like that, but you are _damn_ close to being that kind of asshole!" Sanji snapped, pausing when there was no response and focusing instead on what Zoro was doing. The green haired swordsman had returned to his invasion of privacy, pulling drawers out of the furniture and tossing things around, still looking for that promised shirt. "And I said get the fuck back on your side!"

Sanji kicked out again. Zoro dodged again. And Usopp just stood and watched it all. Again.

He was beginning to wonder what this green haired swordsman was intending to do. The thought made him uncomfortable, so much so that he ignored it entirely, pretending the two hadn't just mentioned the word 'promiscuous' – as in, sleeping around. Or 'another one' as in a common occurrence of Zoro bringing home unsuspecting "friends" like Usopp. Yeah, he would just ignore all that.

"Okay, seriously, get the fuck back on your side and let _me_ get something for your new 'friend.'" The blond haired roommate had apparently given up on kicking Zoro to the other side of the room, resorting to simple words.

Zoro stopped what he was doing, putting fingers to his chin and glancing up at nothing in particular. "Yeah, I suppose you would be best at finding a shirt among your own clothes."

Surprisingly, the simple words worked better than the forced violence. Zoro got up from where he had been crouched over an open drawer and calmly walked to his side of the room, lounging back on his bed as soon as it was in range. The roommate, Sanji, glared at him the whole time before finally rolling his eyes and turning his attention to the new edition to the quite active dorm room.

"So, what kind of shirt am I looking for?"

Not understanding why the blond haired roommate would suddenly just go along with Zoro's plan, Usopp stuttered a bit before actually finding the words for a reply. "No, uh, I mean, uhm, I..." He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and stared at the ground before starting over. "What I mean to say is that this is all quite unnecessary. I've already missed my class so I might as well -"

"You made him skip class, too, Zoro?"

"Keh, what's the big deal? I do it all the time," Zoro replied as if it really was no big deal, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes as if he were about to take a nap.

Sanji rolled his eyes. "You idiot. Not everyone has rich parents that can keep them in college even with terrible grades and no scholarship or financial aid. I mean, shit, have you even passed a class?"

Zoro shrugged but gave no other reply.

Which caused Sanji to sigh and throw his hands up in defeat. "You're hopeless." He then turned to Usopp, who was _still_ standing alone wishing for a chance to escape these two weird guys. "Don't let him get you kicked out of here...What the hell is that on your shirt?"

Blinking at the change of subject, Usopp glanced down, taking note of the noodles and beef and slop of juices spread all over his latest anime shirt. It wasn't from his latest fandom – because to be honest, this anime had been around for quite a while. And it had gathered popularity in every country, making it mainstream, and yet surprisingly still loved among the vast majority of anime fans. An old time favorite that no one would forget, whether or not they had been obsessed with it.

But Sanji didn't seem the type to be into anime, even if he had a picture of a celebrity in a school-girl-outrageously-short-skirt. So, Usopp simply said. "Uh, looks like someone's ramen leftovers..."

"Not the food. The anime," Sanji muttered. "Of _course_ it would be a Dragon Ball Z T-Shirt," he added with a roll of his eyes toward Zoro.

Usopp, baffled to hear the well dressed blond know of anime, followed the look toward the green haired swordsman, wondering what connection Zoro had to the anime world. Zoro, with hands behind his head, resting on his pillow, didn't even sit up to respond. "Yeah, I noticed."

"Ugh. Your obsession needs to die down already. I swear, every person you meet and 'befriend' has some obsession with DBZ. It's done. It's over. Move on in your anime already," Sanji said.

These statements made Usopp even more nervous. So, Zoro liked people who liked his anime obsession. Wait, Zoro had an anime obsession? He blinked and stared at this green haired swordsman as if looking at a new person entirely. That had not been something he had expected to learn. Neither one of these two had seemed the type...

"You don't," Zoro muttered after a while.

Sanji sat up, pulling a shirt out of a drawer. "I don't what?"

"Have an obsession with anime – any anime."

"Yeah, well, I don't count. You didn't meet me because you wanted to. You met me through Nami and Luffy, and Luffy makes friends the same way you do. In fact, I distinctly remember hating your guts until I found out you were -"

"Oi, did you find that shirt yet?" Zoro interrupted, sitting up off the bed, glancing over at Usopp and shrugging his shoulders as if to say it wasn't _his_ fault this was taking so long.

Sighing at the perfectly timed interruption, Sanji took the shirt in his hands and tossed it over to the even more curious Usopp. "It's not anime, but it should fit."

Although he was dying to know what Zoro had so intentionally kept hidden with his interruption, Usopp allowed the subject to change back to him and his shirt. Holding up the piece of clothing, he could only stare and blink, feeling his jaw drop. It didn't make sense. It just...didn't.

It was a black T-shirt with the words: "I'm cosplaying as myself."

Although Usopp wouldn't mind wearing the shirt, he just could _not_ imagine either guy in this room cosplaying at all, much less buying this shirt. "What...?"

"Huh, thought that would fit your personality, seeing as you don't seem to care about wearing an outdated anime shirt," Sanji started to say.

Of course, he got interrupted. By both Usopp and Zoro at the same time. "It's not outdated!"

Which of course made Sanji laugh, and had Usopp blushing to realize he had just been popped out of his protective shell, at least for a minute. Trying to ignore the redness he knew was on his face, Usopp proceeded to change shirts, trying hard to not feel awkward about doing it in another dorm room. It was only a shirt, nothing too big to worry about. And, to be honest, Sanji's shirt was much more comfortable than the one he had been wearing previously. It reminded him of those expensive shirts at anime conventions...the ones he rarely got to buy for himself.

"Anyway, if it makes you feel better, I bought the shirt before an anime convention. Luffy and Nami love to cosplay, usually as some couple from a show I haven't heard of, and last year they tried to force me and Zoro to join them. They got Zoro into a pretty funny costume, but of course he destroyed all the pictures we had – though I think Nami still has a stash somewhere. I, on the other hand, managed to get away with wearing that shirt. I prefer to stay as far from the nerd obsessions as possible, thank you very much." He paused. "You can have it, if you want. I don't wear it anymore."

"Oh really?" Usopp shouted before he could contain himself. Hands clapped in front of his mouth as soon as he realized the outburst. "Sorry, I just... I don't get the opportunity for...see I don't have much money and..."

He could see Zoro tilt his head out of the corner of his eye, and was that a grin? Sanji was rolling his eyes, something he seemed to do a lot around Zoro.

"Have you been off campus at all?" Zoro asked suddenly, interrupting Usopp's trailing excuses and rambles.

Usopp shook his head, knowing exactly what was coming up next. "But I-"

"I know exactly what to do now," Zoro said, ignoring Usopp's attempt to stop him. The green haired swordsman grabbed one of the wooden swords propped against the wall and then made his way out of the door, passing by Usopp on the way, giving him a little head nod of an indication to follow.

"But I have another class. You can't make me skip everything..."

"Why not?" Zoro pointedly asked. "You've already skipped one. And since you haven't missed the others before, one day of freedom should be perfectly fine."

"But -"

Before Usopp could even word his next excuse, Zoro shook his head and started walking. "Just follow."

And he was left, standing there hanging out the doorway, watching Zoro walk away. "But...I..."

Behind him, Sanji put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "You might as well just give in. He won't take 'no' for an answer when he's like this. Him and Luffy really are a _lot_ alike. Oh yeah, that reminds me." Forcing Usopp out into the hallway, Sanji stepped out and cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting. "Don't forget tonight, Zoro! Dinner date with Luffy and Nami!"

Usopp blinked and felt his heart skip a beat at the words. Dinner date? With another couple? It couldn't mean...

The reminder made Zoro stop and turn around, scowling and crossing his arms. "I know," he growled, not shouting but loud enough to be heard. "You coming?"

This last question was obviously direction toward Usopp, who, deciding what-the-hell picked up his satchel bag and started making his way to meet up with the green haired friend he had just recently made. It certainly had been an odd day. And most definitely an odd way to make friends. But he couldn't just leave now. Not when he had been given more questions than answers.

His curiosity would eventually be the death of him. A part of him was excited to explore the town, or at least see whatever had Zoro interested enough to show him. Another part of his brain was absolutely terrified. He wanted to learn more about this green haired swordsman, but at the same time he didn't. He'd been hurt before, after all. Lied to. Tricked. One of the main reasons he hated high school and hated making friends outside of his nerdy circles.

But this was just a friendship, a friendship he was already skipping classes for, something he had never done before. It wasn't even a real friendship yet, seeing as they had just met. It should have been more awkward than this, but for whatever reason it wasn't.

Perhaps that's what scared him the most.

~!~

_A/N: FINALLY! OMG! It's like 10 pages. Just. Wow. I did not expect to get that serious with a ZoroxUsopp. Guess I really did have a secret pairing-love hidden deep inside. Seeing as it's not a popular pairing, I don't expect many reviews out of this. Seeing as it's alternate universe, I expect even less. Seeing as I have other stories that need finishing, I expect more "wtf get back to your real shit" than any real love. BUT I'VE HAD DREAMS ABOUT THIS STORY! SERIOUSLY! It's. Going. To Be. Awesome._

_Promise._


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes****:**

I have recently been pulled into a Hetalia craze. I have already started a story for it. BUT!~!~! I WILL NOT STOP WRITING THIS ONE!

Okay, guys, I PROMISE to have this one finished. Okay? I've learned something from my latest NaNoWriMo attempt (failed, if you want to know). I have learned to write something every day. I am working on the habit. My mom has been much more successful than me at the "writing every day" thing, but seeing her successful gives me the inspiration and motivation to stay on track, too.

Back to ze One Piece: This chapter has a scene from one of my dreams in it. Kuina is not dead. It's AU. I'm allowed. And her personality is...something I _think_ makes sense, considering the complete BS I made up to put her in the story. ("What about Tashigi?" you say?) Well, she might have a role to play too, and it would be different from Kuina. So. Yeah. Just accept it! (I know. I ask a lot.)

… … …

Usopp is so much like me it's not funny...and people say he's in character...Hah! That makes me all warm inside and giddy for some reason.

-Note for this chapter: I have never been inside a dojo and I do not care to really research. If that bugs you, sorry, but I'm totally twisting ideas here and making up a bunch of BS. At least I can admit it.

**~ THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS ~ I HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO ENJOY ~**

~ ! ~

This One Time, For Art Class

Chapter 2

~ ! ~

There was a lot to be nervous about.

He had just met someone new in the most unlikeliest of situations. Someone who had rescued him from the meanderings of a bully. Someone who hadn't given his name – and yet had never asked for Usopp's either. Someone he had been forced to trust, whether he wanted to or not.

But that wasn't even the worst of it.

Usopp had missed a class for the first time ever, and now he was going to be missing several. Besides that, he had a feeling this new friend was gay and attempting to do something else, but he had no real proof and didn't want to turn down a new friend. Also, he had been in Zoro's dorm room, met the roommate, and been dragged further away from the "safety in numbers" idea by agreeing to follow Zoro – alone.

Yeah. There was quite a lot to be nervous about.

It was strange, then, that he felt perfectly calm as they took steps away from the college campus, crossing a street located on the south edge of campus. He wasn't fidgeting. He wasn't shuffling his steps. He wasn't even stuttering or talking for the sake of noise.

In fact, it was rather quiet between the two of them. Zoro hadn't said a word since the last "follow," and Usopp hadn't even muttered a string of complaints about missing class like he had originally intended. No, instead, they were completely silent, and it was slightly awkward – and yet not. It _should_ have been awkward. He _should_ have put his foot down and decided against following a stranger into town. It wasn't safe, and it was rather stupid.

For some reason, he didn't care, and he was quiet because he was trying to figure out _why_ he didn't care. He was analyzing himself, attempting to understand why he was doing things against his better judgment. He really wanted to know why he wasn't scared. Seeing as he was a coward at heart, he should have been freaking out by now; at this stage, he should have run away and made an effort to never meet this weird green-haired swordsman again.

But.

He didn't want to run. He actually felt safe. Maybe it was because Zoro had already stepped forward to save him, small-time bully or not. Maybe there was something around the guy's aura, or the look he would give every few seconds. It was more than a simple glance over the shoulder to make sure Usopp was still following; it was like a check-up to make sure there was no danger. Then again, maybe it was just habit. Someone trained in martial arts tended to keep an eye on everything and everyone, keeping as much in sight as possible.

Yeah, Usopp was probably reading too much into it. They were just normal habitual looks, nothing with any meaning. He was known for reading too much into things, jumping to conclusions and causing problems. His brain was always a few steps ahead, which left other people confused, and he could always understand where someone was coming from. Well, usually, most of the time...until he met Zoro.

He really had _no _idea...

"Why are you walking behind me?" Zoro asked, breaking Usopp's inner thoughts.

He had stopped and turned around, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, like he was annoyed...or disappointed. Not angry, just...maybe sad? Argh! He was so hard to read!

Usopp met the stare for a little while, noticing that the eyes were as green as the hair, a bit too bright to be normal. Were they contacts or real? Surely the hair was dyed, but the eyes _could_ be real at least. He stared back, thinking, immersing himself in the sound of cars on a somewhat busy street as they drowned out the sound of birds that were sitting on the power lines beside the road. And then he had the realization that Zoro was staring straight back at him, waiting.

Color rose in his face and Usopp cleared his throat as he hurriedly moved his gaze to the ground, keeping his head down. He shrugged, "Well, you said to follow, not exactly to walk with you..."

Out of his peripheral he could see Zoro shake his head. "That defeats the purpose of bringing you out here, you know. Not that it matters anymore."

At this, Usopp shot his head up, eyes wide, worried. What did that mean? It didn't matter? Why? Was Zoro going to leave him and forget the friendship? He should have known. Rejection was a common occurrence with him after the first meeting. No one liked him once they learned what he was like.

"Come on, I have to introduce you-"

"Wait, what?"

Zoro blinked and dropped his arms as he turned to the building they were standing next to, a building Usopp had just now noticed. Oh. It didn't matter because they had already reached the destination. His face warmed up again, feeling ridiculous for jumping to conclusions so quickly.

With a slight shake of his head, Usopp turned to the large window on the side of the old building. Pressing his face up against the window, he tried to decipher what was on the other side, seeing as he couldn't actually read the name of the place – since it was in Japanese characters (he was pretty sure it was Japanese, though that may have been his otaku brain insisting).

It seemed to be a rather old place, with wooden walls and floors and a large mat laid out in the center to encompass most of the floor much like a karate dojo or...

Usopp blinked as his brain figured it out. This must be the place where Zoro practiced his sword skills. No wonder he found it to be an interesting place. Not that Usopp felt the same way. He liked swords in anime...sometimes...he wasn't obsessed with the idea like some people were...but then again, he wanted to make a good impression on his new friend.

So...

"Hey, this place looks pretty cool," he muttered, unable to put real excitement into his voice.

He glanced over to Zoro to see what the swordsman would respond with. He was disappointed to see a confused tilt of the head, and then a short spurt of laughter followed by a simple smirk. "You don't have to fake an interest. I'm just here to invite someone else along." He paused and then added something as if an after thought. "It's too much of a tradition between the two of us not to invite her."

"What is?" Usopp asked. "Where are we going?"

To this, Zoro's smirk grew. "You'll see." Usopp opened his mouth to protest, but the green haired man gestured for him to walk. "Come on. We can't go anywhere if you just stand there."

With a slight grumble, Usopp heaved a sigh and gave up. So Zoro wanted to surprise him with something. Fine then. Shifting the position of his shoulder bag, he reluctantly followed the swordsman into the empty dojo. Which must have meant that nothing was scheduled at the moment, probably because it was shortly after lunchtime and during the time periods when most people were either at work or in class (he mumbled something about missing his class again but Zoro either didn't hear or didn't care to respond).

Once they entered, Usopp found himself asked to wait by the door as Zoro moved into another room to search for this other friend of his. Of course Zoro was going to bring another friend. Things would be boring with just Usopp, after all, seeing as he was simply a boring person. Well, boring to a non-nerd. So far, the only common ground they had was the Dragon Ball Z anime. Beyond that, who knew?

Which made Usopp wonder why it mattered that Zoro wanted to bring someone else. It wasn't like they were on a date. No one had said it would be just the two of them. It was just supposed to be a friendly get-together, or something. Of course Usopp had no idea what was in the plan, but he hated the idea of another person because he was pretty sure that would leave him as a third wheel, of sorts. He would be there but the other two would have so many similarities and memories to recall that he would inevitably be left out.

"I should just go home," he said.

"Aw, it didn't take that long, did it?"

The girl's voice brought him up short. Looking up from his musings, Usopp saw a short, skinny female who looked like a young middle-schooler, except for the very adult mannerisms that put him off guard. Her short black hair had bangs that just barely reached her eyes, and next to the tall green haired swordsman who stood slightly behind her, she looked kind of silly, holding a sword in her hand, too. Her eyes were dark, and her clothes were white, a complete contrast from everything about her.

And then she frowned, and the brightness about her aura immediately died. Her serious expression seemed to insist that there was more to this girl than met the eye. It was very...confusing. She wasn't hard to read, not like Zoro, but she was too much of a mix of things for Usopp to really pin anything down.

"Hey, Zoro, introduce me." When she turned back to Zoro with that commanding air, Usopp was once again put off guard. It reminded him of an older sibling ordering a younger one around. And, again, it didn't _fit_.

Zoro didn't even hesitate. "Kuina this is..."

And then Usopp realized that Zoro _still_ had yet to ask his name. Watching the furrowed eyebrows and the complete shock and realization cross the swordman's face, Usopp found himself laughing out loud. It was hilarious. Apparently, the green haired man hadn't even _realized_ he was missing something important. Most people started out with a name. That was an introduction. But their meeting had been so haphazard, so...different, that there hadn't been an opportunity. Well, no, there had been opportunity. Zoro just hadn't ever taken the chance and Usopp had been preoccupied with other important matters so he hadn't cared to rectify the situation.

As Zoro stood there with his hand outstretched in a gesture toward Usopp, and Usopp laughed uproariously, Kuina must have figured out what had happened and she started to giggle, too. Which, apparently, made Zoro even more uncomfortable, because his eyes closed and his eyebrows started to twitch, his teeth started to grind against each other.

"Shut up! I forgot to ask okay?" He shouted, which made the other two crack up even more, much to Zoro's chagrin.

Eventually, Usopp got control of himself, got his breathing back to normal. He reached out a hand to the girl and smiled, feeling a lot more comfortable, not that there had been much awkwardness before – but everything was definitely less serious. "My name's Usopp. I'm an Art Major."

For a moment, nothing happened. The girl had stopped giggling and was staring at his outstretched hand as if not sure what to do with it. Then she brightened up and with a short "oh!" grasped his hand in hers and shook it. "I'm Kuina. I don't usually meet new people. My father runs this dojo. I've been friends with Zoro here since we were little. We made a promise to each other when we were kids, too, that one of us would be the greatest swordsman in the world." She giggled. "He's the only hope, now."

Usopp blinked. So much information. So fast. That was a bit more than he was used to for an introduction, and some of it had him more confused. "Uh, wait, how old are you?"

At this, she rolled her eyes. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to ask a woman her age?"

Usopp blinked. Woman? "But..."

"I'm older than him," Kuina said, punching her fist into Zoro's side, having to reach up to do so. At Usopp's wide eyes, she sighed and offered more. "It's a genetic defect. I won't grow anymore. When we found out, I...well..." She shook her head. "That's too depressing for a first meeting. Just know that it sucks to go from beating someone's ass to having them beat yours."

Usopp found himself nodding, surprisingly very interested in this girl – woman – Kuina. But it wasn't so much her tale as her relationship with Zoro. Childhood friends. Of course, that meant it was even more unlikely for Usopp to have anything interesting to add to a conversation. The two seemed to be very close, too, with the way she kept looking up at him and the way he kept avoiding her glances. Just looking at them, imagining Zoro younger, Usopp could have almost called them a couple, and maybe they had been as kids.

Which would completely destroy his gay theory. For some reason, that made Usopp even more depressed. With a sigh, he let his head hang and started to fidget with the strap of his shoulder bag. New friendships were always so complicated. He had been surprised to see this one starting out differently, but now the nervousness had set it. _Now_ he was wishing to be back in his own place, alone, curled up on his bed with his laptop watching anime.

Now he felt trapped. And awkward. And completely everything that was normal.

Now he...

Kuina tapped him on the shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. "Hey, Usopp, do you mind if I have a quick spar with Zoro? He skipped out on our normal morning routine today and I feel a need to beat him up."

Zoro made a "keh" sounding noise. "We can do something later. I -"

"No, it's okay," Usopp quickly replied. "I can wait." He put on a fake smile and prayed it looked real enough. "Besides, I've never seen a real sword fight before; it would be cool to watch."

Kuina cheered and spun around to prepare. Zoro just crossed his arms and stared at Usopp, as if trying to see through the lie. Or maybe he saw through the lie and was trying to understand why Usopp would do it. For whatever reason, it made Usopp feel even more awkward, especially when he attempted to stare back; he quickly found himself looking anywhere but at Zoro, though he could still see that unspoken question as if it were hovering in the air.

"Zoro! Hurry up!"

While his eyes were focused on the far wall, pretending to be reading the characters painted there, a hand touched his shoulder and Zoro made a statement. "Don't run."

Usopp blinked and found himself swerving his eyes immediately to face the green haired swordsman, but Zoro was already turned around to make his way to the sparring mat. So Usopp stared at his back. Most people would have double checked with his decision, asked a typical "are you sure?" Not given a command, especially not one that had predicted Usopp's motives so quickly.

Now he really was trapped. What had he gotten himself into?

~ ! ~

With another sigh, Usopp turned away from the – rather boring, actually – sword fight taking place right in front of him. Not that it was boring to the two sparring. They seemed to be having the time of their lives, wide grins popping up between looks of serious concentration, which would be interspersed among the incredibly fast movements of what Usopp assumed were katas or forms or...something...

But, to be perfectly honest, it was all happening so fast that it got boring quickly. There was no talking going on between them like in films, either; it was just movements and unspoken feelings. As if they let the swings speak, as if they were involved in their own private conversation. Interesting for them. Probably interesting for someone who cared or knew what the movements meant. In that way, it was more of a sport than an art.

Usopp could enjoy watching an occasional sports match, but he wasn't crazy about it. Football could be interesting when someone he knew was playing for the team. So, a school event. Except he didn't know many football players – one year in high school had made it interesting; after that, he stopped caring. Soccer was a lot more interesting – but only on the international level. Because then it became rooting for your country... of course, when your country didn't care about the sport in general, it kind of dampened the thrill. The Olympics were fun to watch, especially the gymnastics or the ice skating. The dance forms. The "sports" that were closer to art.

Which was why Usopp could stand to watch more of a sword battle than any other sport. Because it was more of an art. However, it still wasn't art for the entertainment factor. It wasn't a symphony performance. It wasn't a musical or play. It wasn't a movie.

So it got boring to watch after a while.

To his surprise, when Usopp turned away from the sword fight he found an older man staring at him and smiling lightly. The man looked like he had come out of a Japanese film about samurai, standing beside him thin and tall wearing a dark gray kimono and exuding a presence all his own. Usopp drew the conclusion that this man was Kuina's father and the owner of the dojo; everything just fit in too well.

"She is happy."

With a blink, Usopp tilted his head and stared at the old man. "What?"

"When she fights, she is most happy."

"Uh huh, I get that, but why tell me? Heck, why even mention it?" Usopp was whispering, even though the old man hadn't whispered – but his voice was quiet. Besides, he felt like any loud noise would interrupt the sparring going on between Zoro and Kuina. And he definitely did not want to interrupt.

Without changing his smile, the old man turned to Usopp and gave a polite bow. "I am called Koshiro. You are?"

_Weird old Japanese dude is creeping me out...Ah well, better answer._

"Uh, i-it's Usopp, sir."

Still smiling, Koshiro gestured to the door in the back of the room, leading to another place of the dojo. "While they spar, would you like to look at old pictures?"

_Yep. Definitely an old dude. _

Biting his bottom lip, Usopp glanced over to the two old friends still having a blast of a match – or spar or whatever it was; the sounds of wooden swords smacking against each other was hard to ignore. What else was he supposed to do? Sit here and be bored? Or stare at pictures of people he didn't care about…and be bored? As much as he wanted to just go outside and huddle in his dorm room or draw, he couldn't very well turn down the offer. The owner of the building had asked him to hang out, in a sense. What else could he do? Say no and get kicked out?

_Hah. That would be just the reason to leave here…but I don't want anyone mad at me…especially not three people who swordfight for fun…_

With a sigh and a shrug, Usopp nodded his head. "Yeah, sure, I suppose it's better than just sitting here doing nothing."

Some may have taken that as an insult, but the old dude just kept smiling. He didn't say anything as he led Usopp to another room of the dojo. Smaller than the last. With a desk and a…chalkboard…at the front?

_Okay, this doesn't make any sense. It's like a miniature classroom. Except the students would be sitting on pillows and not having to write anything down._

Sadly, Koshiro wasn't going to comment on what the room was used for. No, he was actually going to do what he said he would do. He took Usopp to the far wall and began pointing out pictures, and telling stories. Of course, Usopp wasn't at all interested because the kids he was talking about were those he had trained throughout the years, none of which Usopp actually knew. The stories would have probably been more interesting to someone who understood the humorous undertones behind each one.

And then Koshiro pointed at a picture of a cute big-headed green-haired kid. Honestly, if his profile picture was anything to go by, Zoro looked like an annoying brat, like someone who would play pranks on you, someone who would be lazy and refuse to do work. Child Zoro was sitting back in the chair he had obviously been forced to sit in for the picture (seeing as every other kid profile picture involved sitting in the chair). With two legs on the ground and his hands behind his head, eyes only open to glare at the camera, Usopp had to wonder if Zoro had managed not to lean the chair back too far and topple over.

The next picture in line answered the question. Kuina, whose childhood picture looked so much like her real self, was caught after the act of tipping over Zoro's chair. It was pretty obvious. She had a smug look on her face and Zoro had turned his glare to her but from his new position on the floor. The small plastic kiddie chair lay somewhat forgotten in the background, tipped over and left as the two kids stayed forever locked in a staring contest.

"Looks like they really liked each other," Usopp mumbled, the thought in the back of his mind wondering again if they could have been childhood lovers, wondering if there was still something there, wondering why he even cared.

Still with that untouchable smile, Koshiro replied. "They were rivals. Kuina was older and even though she was a girl, she was still the best in the dojo – a fact which annoyed Zoro into training ridiculously hard and trying out any strange new technique he could find on his own."

"Huh. So there's quite a connection between them."

"Hm. That much should have been obvious watching them interact."

With a sigh and a nod, Usopp turned his attention to the next photograph of Zoro and Kuina. One of Kuina in a hospital bed and Zoro snoozing on the floor next to her, leaning back against the bed. It was hard to explain the feelings seeing such a picture provoked. It proved that Zoro did have a deep loyalty to the black-haired girl, which was an endearing quality. But at the same time, it made Usopp sad, wondering if he could ever have a friend be so loyal to him.

"So, what happened?"

The question granted him the first frown from the old dojo master. It was kind of scary how quickly the cheerful presence disappeared. (Usopp made a mental note not to cause _that_ again).

"When she found out…that she…wouldn't grow anymore, Kuina tried to take her own life."

Immediately realizing the mistake of asking his question, Usopp held his breath and covered his mouth. Now it all made sense. That's why Zoro wanted to include Kuina in this little trip, especially if it was something they'd always done together. To leave her out…when she was obviously willing to go so far in grief…

His complaints suddenly felt selfish and unimportant, and the picture suddenly held so much more weight and meaning.

"Father, we're done. What did you do with our new friend?" Kuina's voice rang out, loud and happy.

No wonder Zoro had agreed to the sparring match – and even then he had wanted to make sure Usopp was okay with it. Hanging out with Zoro was probably one of the things keeping Kuina going. If the two were such good friends, having him leave and move on would have hurt more than it should have.

Now Usopp really did feel like he was intruding on something.

When the two showed up in the doorway, Usopp turned to them but kept his eyes down, wringing his hands as he spoke. "I-I really should be going."

"What? Why?" Kuina's complaint put him off guard, made him look up and see her confused eyes as they glanced between him and her father.

Shrugging, Usopp gave his best excuse. "I still have a class I should be in…"

But Zoro already had a comeback. "I thought we agreed today was a skip day. You haven't missed before, so it shouldn't matter if you take one day off. Besides, the place we're going to doesn't stay open all day."

Kuina closed her eyes and laughed. "Yeah, that's true. If you want to have the most fun we should leave soon."

Usopp tried to stutter out a response, but nothing came out and he knew nothing would work. Whether or not it would be awkward, whether or not he would actually have fun, he was being allowed to join in on something that was probably reserved for just the two of them, though it did seem like they liked having others.

So, with yet another sigh and shrug, he conceded. "All right. Can you at least tell me where we're going?"

To which Kuina and Zoro both grinned. And as Kuina grabbed his arm and started to tug him along as they left the building, Zoro gave a somewhat of an explanation. "It would lose half the fun if we told you."

_Great. Why do I feel like I'm being pranked? I feel more like a lost pledge trying to join a fraternity… I guess I just have to hope they don't have anything too terrible planned. Why did I let myself fall into this mess? _

_Why me?_

~!~

_A/N: And, done! Sorry it took so long. School is hectic and time management is one of the concepts I'm in-the-process of learning. As I learn that, I'll do better in my classes AND do better with my practice time AND do better at keeping updates steady. Don't worry. It'll happen. I have finished things before, I can do so again._


End file.
